Entropy Effect
by psychoman222
Summary: Most people who know him would call Sam Shepard a homebody. Completely uninteresting. When his son ends up missing in action, presumed dead, he turns to religion to help him through the loss. Unfortunately for everyone else, Sam doesn't practice a religion that anyone else in the galaxy has heard of...
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is just a plot bunny that wouldn't leave until I wrote it. Not sure if I'm going to do much more with it, and I apologise if this first chapter's a bit boring.

 **Entropy Effect**

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Sam Shepard hummed contentedly as he checked the roast. It still had a while to go, so he went outside to tend to the garden, making sure to properly compost the clippings. As he headed back inside, he waved to the neighbors. They waved back, wearing rather forced grins. He sighed. He never got used to how people would always treat him because he had a few scars on his face. And they never believed him when he told them where he got them. Oh well, it's not like he needed their validation to live a happy life.

Once inside, he took a quick shower, and once he was done with that, he made sure the fine silverware was laid out, the candles lit, the lights dimmed, and the wine was decanted and left to breathe.

Now, all that was left was for his date to show up.

He checked his omnitool.

She should be arriving…

The front door chimed.

...Now.

Hannah Shepard, Admiral of the Systems Alliance, walked in. She took a glance around, and smiled at the waiting Sam.

"What's the occasion?"

Sam shrugged.

"I felt you could use a nice relaxing evening. You've been stressed these past couple of weeks. And since Adrian's gone hunting those… _Geth_ , I figured we'd have the evening to ourselves." Sam said, waggling his eyebrows.

Hannah scoffed.

"Please, we haven't had to worry about our son walking in on us since he left for Basic, almost a decade ago. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for a raincheck on _that_. Hackett's been running me ragged since the attack on the Citadel, so I'm just too tired at the moment."

Sam grumbled good-naturedly.

"What's the galaxy coming to, when a man can't have a nice, _relaxing_ evening with his lovely wife?" he joked.

Hannah rolled her eyes.

"Poor baby." she sarcastically commiserated, pulling his head down in order to give him a kiss. A necessary action, since Sam was a full two feet taller than she was. As they sat down at the table, Sam gave a quick, silent prayer of thanks before he began eating, as he usually did.

Halfway through the Shepard's 'date', the doorbell chimed.

Growling in annoyance, Sam rose.

"I'll get it." he informed Hannah as he did so.

Briskly striding to the door, he opened it, revealing a Naval officer of some sort. Sam never bothered to learn the distinctions between ranks of the Systems Alliance, beyond what was necessary to follow his wife and son's conversations.

The Naval officer stared for a moment, having not expected a heavily scarred giant to answer the door.

"Speak." Sam barked.

That snapped the Officer out of his stupor, and he responded.

"I'm sorry, but is Admiral Shepard here? There's something I need to speak with her about."

Sam glared, but sighed in resignation.

He really didn't want her to have one her few opportunities to relax taken away, but her being called away to work at a moment's notice was something he had long since gotten used to.

"Hannah, work." He called out over his shoulder.

He heard a groan from the dining room, and Hannah's response.

"Coming."

As she walked over, The Naval Officer spoke.

"I apologize for the interruption ma'am, but I'm afraid I have bad news."

Sam rolled his eyes. Obviously. Someone from the government just knocked on their door. That never happened when there was _good_ news. However, because his wife was a Navy Admiral, the 'bad news' was usually 'she needs to come in for yet another all-nighter'."

However, the Officer's next words turned his blood to ice.

"It's about your son."

...

The next few hours were filled with Sam doing his best to calm his wife down, despite barely having a hold on his emotions himself.

"Sam, I need to go. I need to find him."

"Hannah, Don't. The Navy is already doing everything they _can_ do. You going will only end with more stress being heaped upon you. I know you are filled with the desire to do _something,_ regardless of how useful it actually ends up being. But if the Navy _can't_ find him, you'll end up blaming yourself. " Sam tried to reason.

Hannah glared at him through her tears.

"So what am I _supposed_ to do!? Sit on my ass and _pray_!?"

Sam was about to argue that prayer was a perfectly legitimate method of providing assistance, but held his tongue.

However, his silence said it anyway.

"Well fine! You stay here and _pray_! In the meantime, _I'll_ be doing something _useful_ to help my son!" She shouted, as she stormed out.

The words stung, but Sam knew it was the grief talking.

In spite of Hannah's sarcasm, he _would_ petition his gods for his son's safe return.

He hadn't… _openly practiced_ his faith in quite some time. He stopped before he met Hannah, in fact.

It was time that changed.

Sam grabbed a shovel and went into the back yard.

As he dug, he spoke to his gods.

"If there was one thing I have learned during my time in ...retirement, it is that the people of this time did not believe in miracles or higher powers. They do not understand. They do not _know_ that faith is rewarded, that they are seen and heard by those who are beyond their comprehension.

Do not worry, my lords, for I have not forgotten that simple truth. Which is why, after all these long years, I once again come to you for aid. It is through your grace that I arrived here, where I could live in peace. It is by your grace that I have had the joy of experiencing the simple pleasures of a simple life. It is through your grace that I have a son, despite my former Chapter's ...attempts to deny me the pleasure of being a father.

It is by your grace that my son will be restored to me.

I know this, because I know you reward your faithful. However, I have _not_ forgotten that you do not give your blessings to those that have not earned them. I will sacrifice as much as I need to in order to have my son restored to me."

Sam had finally dug up what he sought. It was a large crate. He opened it, revealing a suit of armor. A suit with an eight-pointed star proudly emblazoned on it.

"For I am Samael the Iniquitous, Chaos Lord of the Alpha Legion. And I will _not_ be denied the gifts I have earned in blood."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I apologize for any discrepancies in the Lore, but I'm afraid that Warhammer lore is just too expansive (Not to mention sometimes contradictory) for me to have any hope of having every single detail correct. (Or most of them- I'm kind of new to the fandom)

As for all of you loyalists out there...sorry. Gotta be Chaos. Reason 1- The plot. Plot summary is this: Chaos Lord goes on rampage in order to bribe the Chaos gods to bring his son back from the dead. Hilarity ensues.

Reason 2-Comedy. Picture a Chaos Marine serenely mowing the lawn. Now picture him mowing the lawn again, but don't laugh this time. Can you do it? I can't.

* * *

Entropy Effect

Chapter 2

Liara T'soni sighed as she read the information off her terminal. Nothing that would lead to the Shadow broker, or Feron. It would look like today was going to be another fruitless day at the office.

This notion was rather suddenly dispelled as something kicked in her door. Impressive, as it was three inches of solid metal and was a retracting door, and as such didn't have a hinge.

Liara immediately put up a biotic barrier and withdrew her submachine gun from the hidden compartment in her desk, before taking cover.

As she lined up her sights at the intruder, she hesitated. She had never seen _anything_ like it.

It stood at nearly nine feet tall, and was wearing azure armor, with a horned helm and strange markings, including one of a three-headed snake, and a circle with eight spokes.

The hesitation did not last long, and she unloaded her SMG at the figure, only to fail to penetrate the powerful kinetic barrier it had.

It proceeded to unhurriedly stride towards her.

Desperate, she charged up her biotics, and let loose.

The powerful biotic pulse caused it to take a half-step backward, but was otherwise unfazed.

She loaded another heat sink into her gun, but by then the figure had made its way to her, and nonchalantly grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her up with a single hand. Considering the thing's height, her head was grazing the ceiling.

" **Where is Shepard?"** the figure asked in a deep, reverberating voice.

Liara saw an opportunity. This wasn't exactly truthful, but it was true _enough_ , and if this... _thing_ stirred up enough trouble…

"The bounty was placed by the Shadow Broker." she said, straining against this monster's grip.

The... _thing_ paused, possibly internally debating whether or not she was being truthful.

" **Tell me everything you know about this 'Shadow Broker'."** It demanded.

She did. After all, the more problems this thing caused the Broker, the more likely her contacts could find something.

" **Thank you for your cooperation."** The thing said, and it began squeezing, seemingly intent on crushing her throat.

Only for it to stop. She looked down at the thing, and followed its line of sight.

Its gaze was locked on to a picture on her desk-a group photo of the Normandy 'Away Team'.

It let her go, and then strode out.

Samael thoughts were racing as he left the Asari's office. The Asari in question was seen snooping around the 'crime scene' of the Normandy's destruction, and Adrian's body was missing. He put two and two together and decided she must have had it. However, it was apparently in the possession of this 'Shadow Broker'. He initially assumed that the Asari wench was the one who sold the body to this Broker, and was going to kill her for it, but the photograph, well, painted another picture. She was an ally of Adrian, who most likely wanted the body for the same reasons he did.

Well, similar, as he didn't _think_ she was going to make an offering to the Dark Gods in exchange for life to be returned to it. This 'Shadow Broker' was most likely an enemy of hers. Samael was Alpha Legion- he _knew_ when he was being played. But the facts she gave him checked out. The Broker did, in fact, put out a bounty for Adrian's corpse.

So, he had a target, now all he needed was to decide on a Patron- _who_ would he ask to revive his son?

Nurgle was out- as the God of the Circle of Life, he hated anything that altered the natural order of things, and waking up _after_ you died was certainly an alteration. Slaanesh was out- Samael didn't know if Slaanesh was even _born_ in M2, and most of the rituals necessary to earn the favor of the Prince of Pleasure would most likely make Hannah _very_ upset with him. (Of course, there _were_ a couple he knew she'd _like_ , but now probably wasn't the best time.)

Tzeentch _was_ an option, but making a deal with him was like playing poker blindfolded. You had no idea whether or not you were winning or losing, or to what degree.

That left Khorne. Khorne would _definitely_ approve of the restoration of a valiant warrior, and you always knew where you stood with him. Also, he was easy to shop for.

So, he had a lead, and he had a place to start with the sacrifices- After all, demonic miracles don't grow on trees. (Well, on this side of the Eye of Terror- the Warp was weird sometimes.) Hannah and Adrian would _both_ be very upset with him if he started executing people at random, but this 'Shadow Broker' 'kidnapping' his son's corpse provided him with a nice excuse. (Not that he planned on telling them anyway- Sam wasn't an idiot.)

So, it was time to check out the first name the Asari gave him…

Elsewhere on Ilium, a shadow broker informant had a chill run down his spine.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks to anyone who reviewed. I've made my decision as to Sam's loadout- One hand, Lightning Claw- other hand, a special, unique-to-him, customized Multi-Melta, with a volkite 'side-arm'. The reason for this is that I've done some digging, and the only ranged weapons Terminators can equip are combiguns, heavy flamers, autocannons, and storm bolters. All of which use ammo.. I debated whether or not to use a Volkite weapon, as they're pretty rare. My justification for making it a MULTI-melta is this- Terminators are commonly depicted using traditionally two-handed weapons in one hand. (Thunder Hammers, Autocannons, Heavy Flamers, ETC) Now, my question is this- what should I name it? It is, after all, unique.

(Yes, I realize that in the tabletop, this would be OP. That's one of the benefits of Fanfiction- no need to make gameplay balanced)

For those of you _still_ going on about how Astartes are infertile, as Sam mentioned in his monologue in chapter 1, and my note in chapter 2, Sam _was_ infertile. (The bit about how his Chapter denied him the ability to have a son) He bribed Slaanesh to fix that at some point. (The 'by your grace I _have_ a son' part.)The way I see it, if Slaanesh can turn an Astartes into a _hermaphrodite_ for the lulz, it can give them their balls back.

* * *

Entropy Effect

Chapter 3

The Shadow Broker informant was in a state of panic. Over the course of the past week, all of his contacts had been murdered. And he didn't mean suspicious 'accidents'. No, the bodies were discovered mutilated and missing a head, posed ritualistically. _Something_ was hunting them. He could practically _feel_ the murderer's breath down his neck.

Wait.

He actually _could_ feel breath on his neck.

He slowly turned around, only to come face-to-face with a giant _monster_.

The informant knew he had only one option.

He bit down on his cyanide capsule.

His last thoughts were prideful, as he had denied this... _thing_ any intel.

Samael sighed as he watched the informant poison himself. People that were already dead made for subpar sacrifices to Khorne. Oh well. He was out of leads, so it was time to put his Omophagea implant to work.

Once his grisly tasks were done, he had a new lead on this 'Shadow Broker.'

The broker apparently needed to store massive amounts of data, so he had a few 'server farms' constructed, protected by mercenaries. They were the closest things to strongholds the Shadow Broker had, as whoever it was usually preferred the security of anonymity. Luckily for Samael, there was a shipment headed to one of them, which he could follow.

Finally, he could do something _actually_ worthwhile, not just hunt down these insignificant whelps.

At the shipping yard…

One of the guards paused, hearing a steady, rhythmic sound. It almost sounded like someone was running, if 'someone' was a YMIR mech. It seemed to be getting closer, but the guard didn't see anything. He turned around to see if it was _there_ , and felt a gust of wind pass behind him as he did. The sound faded, and finally stopped. The guard turned in a circle, once again confirming that nothing was there. During his sweep, he noticed the door of one of the shipping containers was slightly ajar.

The guard sighed. One of the workers must not have shut it properly. He latched it shut. Otherwise, it was going to annoy him. It might trick him into thinking someone was hiding in there, and that was something he didn't need right now. After all, he _still_ didn't know what that noise was.

* * *

Three days later, the server compound received its shipment.

A couple of mercenaries opened the container, but before they could pull the doors open, they, along with the doors in question, were vaporized by a cone of heat. An Azure-clad giant leaped out of the still glowing circular hole where the doors used to be, bellowing crazed laughter.

" **You** _ **fools!**_ **You have been** _ **BETRAYED**_ **by your** _ **MEHTAL BAWKSES**_ **!"** it cried, as lightning arced over its clawed hand.

The remaining mercenaries opened fire, but what wasn't absorbed by its barrier ricocheted uselessly off of its armor. It nonchalantly lumbered towards their firing line, firing cones of heat out of it's massive, double-barreled arm-mounted 'gun'. Then, when it apparently got close enough, it _charged_ , plowing through their cover as if it was made out of twigs. A single swipe from its claw cut the defenders within reach clean in half. Those that tried to run vere vaporized by the giant gun.

With the perimeter guards decimated, Samael surveyed the facility itself. Apparently, whoever was in charge of security had half a brain, and ordered a total lockdown.

If he tried breaking through, he would most likely end up in a kill zone, and the defenders would probably have wizened up and equipped themselves with anti-armor weapons. He would have to come up with a more stealthy approach. As he glanced around the loading area, he saw his means of getting inside.

The equipment he would need to implement what the Alpha Legion affectionately called the 'Solidus Maneuver.'

After several hours of not seeing the giant monster that wiped out the perimeter guards, the lockdown lifted and patrols were sent out. None of them noticed the massive crate that shuffled past them, heading into the facility.

* * *

 **CODEX ENTRY** : The Solidus Maneuver: Named after the Alpha Legion Chaos Lord, Solidus Ophidian, the Solidus Maneuver is a method of infiltration most never see coming- hiding in a box. Solidus' rivals have learned to fear any type of box, from cardboard boxes to Rhino APCs.

AN:Yes, I am aware Solidus was never a playable character, and thus (probably) never used this maneuver. However, Solidus sounds more Warhammer-esque than Solid or Big Boss.

AN2: I apologize for three things: The lateness, the shortness, and the quality. All three things fed one another. The lack of quality (I was very unhappy with the action scene, which basically boiled down to 'Chaos Lord wrecks mercs', but my lack of talent in writing action caused even _that_ to fall flat) is due to it being mainly action, which I suck at (obviously),and a lack of dialogue, which I consider my strongest skill in writing, all of which I had no idea how to fix. This caused it to sit at about 90% complete for a few months. This caused me to get frustrated, and say 'whatever, good enough' once I finally had an epiphany in how to end it, which feeds back into the shortness, and quality. For those of you waiting for DLoN and NJARM, similar problems are holding those two back.

AN3: One thing I _refuse_ to apologize for is the **Mehtal Bawkses** line. Sam's a Alpha Legion Chaos Lord; some things are just _mandatory_.


	4. Even Dead Shepards Can Dream

AN: Forestalling any potential questions about 'how does Sam have an Omnitool and Kinetic Barriers?', the answer to both is simple-he's been in ME-verse for longer than a week. Over thirty years, in fact. Plenty of time to pick up an omnitool and install some eezo cores into his armor. How does he know how to modify Terminator Armor? Again, a simple answer- he's had it for _centuries_. You don't last very long in the field if you don't know how to clean,repair, maintain, or jerry-rig your equipment, no matter how much of a hissy fit the Mechanicus throws about someone other than them messing with it. Especially since Sam's Chaos- he couldn't give _less_ of a crap what the Mechanicus think.

 **WARNING** : This may be a controversial chapter. It involves the sort of parenting that a former Astartes would provide- few carrots and lots of stick. While of course ultimately well-intentioned, Sam may cross a couple of lines.

* * *

Commander Adrian Shepard dreamt.

The computer monitoring his vitals showed no heartbeat or neural activity, but he dreamt nonetheless.

 _Adrian Shepard was a proud as proud could be. Finally, he was a member of the Navy. This would be the first time he was home in_ _months._

 _He knocked on the door, and within moments it was open. In the doorframe stood a hulking, scarred form._

" _Hi Dad!"_

" _Hi Adrian. I see you have a new outfit."_

" _Yup. Navy standard issue."_

" _Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in."_

 _Adrian narrowed his eyes._

" _You know, I was expecting a hug. Or maybe a few tears of joy, or an I'm proud of you, or something."_

" _If you want hysterics, wait until your Mother gets back from work. She'll be more than emotional enough for the both of us. You want a beer?"_

" _Dad, I'm only seventeen. I can't have alcohol."_

" _Only_ _seventeen. You're old enough to be paid to get shot and maimed, but you're such a poor, fragile baby that you need to be protected, at all costs, from taxing your liver slightly. The logic of the Alliance astounds me." Sam lectured, shaking his head._

" _It has to do with metabolic rates, not mental maturity."_

" _I know. Point remains. Bullets and shrapnel are going to have a much greater effect on your 'metabolic rates' than a single beer will."_

" _I don't_ _plan_ _on getting shot."_

" _That is_ _literally_ _the_ _exact same words_ _that everyone who has ever held a gun,_ _with no exceptions_ _, has said."_

" _Our instructor said something similar to that, actually. Only with more swearing." Adrian mused._

" _Sounds like a smart guy. So, do you want a beer or not?"_

" _Sure, I guess. As long as Mom doesn't find out."_

" _I promise, she won't hear about it from_ _me_ _."_

" _Thanks."_

If someone were to have witness the previous exchange, Adrian knew, they could see his father as a callous, cold-hearted man who couldn't be happy for his son, or even be bothered to pretend to, and who had no trouble pushing alcohol on a minor.

That was not the case.

The beer was a symbol. It said what his words didn't. It said, "I'm proud of you, and from now on, I consider you an adult." The "shot and maimed" rant was his father's way of expressing his worry that his son might go to war and never come back. And, in all honesty, Adrian preferred it that way.

Because that method of voicing his concern was better than the alternative.

 _Beer long since empty, with Sam not offering another, point having been made, Adrian excitedly chattered about all the lessons and 'adventures' he encountered in basic training. After a couple of hours of Sam listening patiently, he finally raised a forestalling hand._

" _Instead of telling me all of this, why don't you show me?"_

 _Adrian all but leaped off of the couch he was sitting on, and almost_ _skipped_ _to the basement door, he was so eager to demonstrate his new abilities._

 _Hannah, being a career soldier, with Adrian eagerly following in her footsteps, regularly needed to keep in shape. As such, Sam converted a section of the basement into a tiny gym, complete with floor mats._

 _It was on these the two Shepards stood, Adrian in a fighting stance. Sam just stood there. Sam was obviously assessing his son's form, but made no comment, nor did he assume his own stance._

" _Are you ready, Dad?" Adrian asked._

" _Yes."_

 _"Okay, if you say so." Adrian said, disbelievingly._

 _Adrian let loose a flurry of punches, making a great effort to keep them at 'love tap' strength. His Dad was a civilian, after all, and he didn't want to hurt him._

 _Sam didn't bother blocking any of them. He merely raised an eyebrow._

" _It appears I'm going to have to have a word with your instructor. If_ _that_ _was considered 'passable', he is either an incompetent trainer, or is sending you out to die as cannon fodder, so he can't be bothered to waste time training you properly."_

" _I was going easy on you! I'm not going to use my full strength on a civvie!" Adrian snarled, his ego bruised._

" _You need to have Faith, Adrian. Faith in the power of the human soul, one of the most precious commodities there are. The power of a human soul feeds everything you do. If you have enough resolve, it doesn't matter what condition your flesh is in. If you_ _don't_ _have conviction, you are powerless, regardless of training or muscle mass. And that is true for others as well. My will is absolute-you will not harm me." Sam gently lectured._

It was a lecture Sam had given many times. Never in this context, as he had left Adrian's physical education to Hannah.

" _Now, try again. And don't hold back this time."_

 _Even with his pride hurting, Adrian wasn't so mad he was going to risk hurting his father. He went through the same set again, at half strength this time._

 _Again, not even a flinch from Sam, who rolled his eyes. Then, faster than the eye could track, Sam grabbed Adrian by the throat, and squeezed._

" _If that was as much conviction as you can muster, I should kill you right now. After all, your mother would greatly prefer having a body to bury, rather than your corpse being forgotten in some ditch on some backwater world. You see, if you go into combat with such a weak will, your gruesome death isn't an_ _if,_ _but a_ _when_ _. And I'd prefer to… what's the phrase? Rip the bandage off quick? That way your mother and I can get started on your replacement, who will hopefully, unlike you, have a spine."_

 _Adrian looked into his father's eyes, pleading with him to let go without saying a word, his father's grip so tight he couldn't utter them._

 _His father's expression was placid. He might as well have been taking out the trash._

 _This was it. He was going to die, at the hand of his father, on the day that should have been his greatest triumph. His murder wasn't fueled by a moment's rage, but by a man who should have loved him calmly deciding he wasn't worth the effort of keeping around._

 _This, needless to say, pissed Adrian off. He mustered what little strength he had left, and let fly with a kick to his father's head. His kick landed straight on the nose, breaking it._

 _Sam smiled, a river of blood from his nose framing his grin, and gently released his son._

" _That's more like it. You see, Adrian, as long as you have the strength and conviction, it doesn't matter how much bigger or stronger your opponent is. You can, at the minimum, bloody their nose. A man with a strong enough soul can strike down daemons and angels as easily as he can a ...varren. So, above all else, remember this- when all other hope is lost, have faith in the human soul. Do not let your fear rule you. Do not lose hope because you no longer have the advantage. As long as your will is unbroken, you will be victorious."_

 _Adrian didn't reply. He looked up at his father, eyes filled with hurt, fury, and betrayal, and scurried upstairs._

 _Hannah Shepard never found out about that 'sparring match'. She knew they had a falling out, but never knew the cause._

 _Adrian shipped out the first chance he got, never forgiving his father for that night. That is, until two years later, he got a new mission. Akuze._

 _They came out of nowhere. Before he could blink, Smith and McNair were...gone. Swallowed whole. Adrian looked up at the towering Thresher Maw, and was filled with hopelessness and dread. Just as he did that day in that basement, where he was convinced his father was going to kill him._

 _That's when he realized he needed to thank his old man. The fear was there, but he wasn't huddled into a ball and crying like Jones, or paralyzed with terror like Evans. Because he had come face to face with death once before, it was easier to think and move. He steeled himself, brought his rifle to bear, and opened fire._

 _Everything after that was a blur to Adrian. All he knew is that Jones, Evans, and himself made it out, and that there were five dead Thresher Maws by the time he was done._

 _All because his father taught him that one lesson. It was a harsh one, to be sure, but one that kept him alive._

 _He called his father the first opportunity he had, and thanked him._

The power of a human soul feeds everything you do. If you have enough resolve, it doesn't matter what condition your flesh is in _._ As long as your will is unbroken, you will be victorious _._ Since then, Commander Adrian Shepard has lived by those words. As he dreamt, they practically rang throughout his very being.

He dreamt of Joker. Liara. Ashley. Kaiden. Garrus. Wrex. He dreamt of Tali.

He dreamt of how they would be forced to fight the Reapers without him.

That was unacceptable.

In a Cerberus research facility, an EKG meter beeped.

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ No humor in this chapter, sadly. Also, I know a lot of what Sam said in this chapter is more stuff a loyalist would say, but that is, once again, a benefit to him being Alpha Legion- he isn't a diehard believer either way.

Also, I have no intention of glorifying domestic abuse, but it's what was in character. That was as gentle as Astartes get, when they decide someone needs 'tough love'. Especially one that serves Chaos. And Sam really felt he needed to take that lesson seriously.

This chapter was inspired by Angry Joe's Ten Reasons we hate Mass Effect 3's Ending review.

In it, he brings up a good point- Canon Shepard would have never accepted the Reaper AI's circular logic. So why did s/he? Other than the popular 'Shepard was indoctrinated' theory, I came up with one conclusion: The war broke him/her. S/he lost quite a few good friends in short order, and the outcome of the war was doubtful, so Shepard was so worn down by that point that when easy options presented themselves, Shepard just wanted to get it over with, and picked one.

Then I thought: What would an Astartes do, Chaos or otherwise? One thing CSMs and SMs have in common is that they are VERY stubborn, and when presented with a dilemma where there's an easy way out, but they have to compromise, they tell whoever offered the deal to go kiss a Tyranid. And when they're backed into a corner with no way out but through, they go through. And there's no way Sam didn't pass that down to the Commander. Thus, this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Several reviews have asked how Sam has blended in despite being an Astartes, and modified beyond all reason, the answer is simple. All of the really eyebrow-raising stuff, such as the fused ribcage, are _SUB-dermal._ Meaning, _beneath_ the skin. The only way someone's going to see them is if they flay him with a scalpel or something. The only one who Sam would let someone see enough of him to notice something was off would be Hannah, his wife, who Sam has obviously fed a hell of a cover story. The most obvious modification, his size, would not be as difficult to pass off as normal as you'd think. The tallest man ever, in real life, was _Nine_ feet tall. Nobody ever accused _him_ of being a genetically modified supersoldier. According to one source, 'Average' height for a Space Marine is 7' 2". Shaquille O'Neal,(A former American Basketball player, for those of you who haven't heard of him) is naturally 7' 1". Yao Ming, another former Basketball player, is 7' 6". Sam is tall for an Astartes, so maybe 8+. Odd, but it's not _suspicious_. People around his neighborhood may talk about him, but no one's calling in a news crew because he's taller than average. As for lack of demonic mutations, Alpha Legion actually canonically _avoid_ the Eye of Terror, and as such don't spend too much time in the Warp.

As for the Black Carapace nodes...that'll come up later.

 **AN2:** I have also received several reviews asking how prominent the Dark Gods/The Emperor/ other WH40K things are going to be. _**While I don't consider these things to be spoilers, some may disagree. If so, stop reading this AN.**_

The Dark Gods' influence is going to be minimal- the barriers between the Warp and Physical world are much stronger in M2 than M30-M42, and only one guy's sacrificing to them. They may pull a minor 'miracle' here or there, but nothing major.

The Emperor is actually going to feature prominently from ME2 on, though not as an omnipotent, omniscient being as he is usually portrayed in fanfiction. His role will be as a foil to Sam. I apologize for this, as some of my PM replies have said that he's not going to feature in this story. I have since found a way to work him in, so that is now retconned. Okay, maybe not retconned because I changed it _before_ i wrote it into the actual story, but I digress.

Sam _does_ have a Warhammer-verse ship… If you can really call it that. It's a heavily modified Caestus Assault Ram. For those of you who don't know what that is, It's small, even by ME standards. It's about 17m x 13m x 7m. (For reference, the Kodiak dropship is apparently 16m x 8m x 6m) [Sizes rounded to nearest meter]. It serves the same function as a dropship, but with a twist- it's designed to ram enemy ships, breaching the hull in the process, and dropping off the Space Marine compliment into the ship itself.

As for anything else from M30-M42 showing up… no. Absolutely not. It will lose all narrative cohesion if those are included. Imagine the final battle of ME3. You've gone through hell and back to sort through all the galaxy's problems, political or otherwise, in order to make this one final stand...only for an Ork fleet to show up out of nowhere and start wrecking the Reapers. Or against all odds, after much sacrifice, you finally wipe out the Reapers once and for all... only for Tyranids to show up, say "Screw your hard-won happy ending!" and eat everyone. The power imbalance is just too great for 40k to show up on anything more than a personal scale.

 **AN3** : After some deliberation, I have decided to make it so Sam has a 'stash' of Wargear, that he trades between offscreen to fit the situation. I previously was concerned with how Sam was going to replenish ammo without having to commission a manufacturing plant to do a custom job for him, as that would raise suspicion. It turns out I failed to consider one aspect of ME lore: The ability to craft small objects using the omnitool. Such as custom ammunition. As you can imagine, this opens up a few options.

Complete list of Sam's Wargear:

Reaper Autocannon (Ammunition forged via omnitool/omnigel)

Lightning Claw (Master-crafted)

Custom Terminator-compatible Multi-Melta (Since it's custom I suppose it's Master-crafted as well)

Venom Sphere Harness(Ammunition forged via omnitool/omnigel)

Cameleoline-coated Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour

Lascannon

Volkite Charger

Grav-pistol

Cape bearing pre-heresy iconography (Cameoline?)

Iron Halo

Terminator Cyclone Missile Launcher (Ammunition forged with omnigel-due to size, either takes the omnitool a long time or requires a bigger fabricator, so cannot be reloaded on the fly) (NOT always equipped)

Terminator Conversion Beamer (Used sparingly!)(Firing Calculations done via omnitool)

ME Kinetic Barriers

ME Omnitool

Plus a couple of 'plot' items not in this list due to spoilers.

For those of you thinking "How in the world did he get some of those? Those are really rare/Unique!" Let's just say Sam had ...'Connections'...before the Horus Heresy. Which will be expanded upon in later chapters.

And now, after that massive wall of text, on with the Story!

 _ **Entropy Effect**_

 _ **Chapter 5**_

There were times Tela Vasir regretted her deal with the Shadow Broker. This was quickly becoming one of those times.

She reviewed the security footage once again, hoping to catch something she missed the first five times. Something she could use to track him. All she could get from it was that he was patient. Patient and smart. He would have had to successfully find out which shipping container would be heading to the facility, and, once inside, wait for _days_ before making his move. He had to have incapacitated the pilot so that he'd have a ship to leave. Then he had to trick the guards into thinking the pilot was, well, still piloting, _while inside a shipping container_. _Without_ making enough noise to alert the guards. Once the trap was sprung, killed every single one of the guards, hid well enough to wait out the lockdown, while being smart enough to know that they would have set up a killzone, making a head-on assault...less than ideal.

That's when things got strange.

The attacker made it a point to kill _everyone_. Yet didn't bother with the security footage. If the intent was to silence them, he would have at least _tried_ to tamper with the cameras. He didn't.

The kills made in combat were quick and efficient. The mark of a professional. The final sweep...was not. The killings were too...ritualistic. Like it was done for fun, or some form of psychosis.

Once done, he...just got what he came for and left. No attempt to clean up, nor leaving a calling card.

She tracked him to Illium, but the trail went cold there. No police chatter about some hulking armored figure skulking about. The only thing close was before the attack on the Shadow Broker's facility, someone matching the description attacked an information broker.

Having finished watching the footage again, Tela got up, and decided to check out the broker he attacked. It was the only lead she had, at the moment. How could someone that distinctive stay in such a densely populated city without _anyone_ commenting on it?

* * *

"Wow! Nice costume! Who are you supposed to be?" A rather...flamboyantly dressed Asari asked.

" **Samael the Iniquitous, Harrower of the Lernaean Terminators, Chaos Lord of the Alpha Legion. Yourself?** "

"Shiva, from Galaxy of Fantasy."

" **I believe I've heard of it. Isn't that some online game?"**

"Yep! Let me guess, you're a tabletop guy." She stated more than guessed.

" **...I'm a bit old fashioned, yes."**

"Well, you're in luck, I just met this new group! Want to join?"

" **I would be delighted. Thank you for your hospitality."**

Sam followed the Asari deeper into the Expo Center, taking great care not to run into anyone. Due to the density of the crowd, one unfortunate Imperial Stormtrooper got cuffed upside the head by a giant gauntlet, despite his efforts. Not hard, of course.

* * *

As Liara returned home after a hard day at her office, thankfully now fully repaired, she noticed something was off. The door was unlocked. Considering her occupation, that was a mistake she _never_ made. She withdrew her sidearm and cautiously entered. To her surprise, the only thing out of place was a single OSD on her coffee table, along with a note. It read: _This disk contains files I obtained from your 'shadow broker', but they are encrypted. As I understand it, you are skilled in decryption. I will be returning in a week to check on your progress. Signed, your ally in recovering Shepard, Alpharius._

Putting the note down, Liara then checked her security. There was nothing. There was maybe a shimmer, most likely a tactical cloak, but other than that, nothing.

She _hated_ acquiescing to this...things demands, but the truth was, she was _very_ interested in what was on that disk, even if it had nothing about Shepard on it. And at least she knew what the... _thing_ was after now.

She opened up her omnitool interface, and made a call.

" _Officer Vakarian, Citadel Security. How may I help you?"_ Asked a bored voice.

"Hello, Garrus. It's Liara."

" _Liara! It's good to hear from you! How are you doing?"_ The voice responded, all traces of boredom gone.

"Generally speaking, quite well, apart from...a certain issue. And you? I thought you quit C-Sec?"

" _Well, I needed something to pay the bills once I got back. But I think I'm going to turn in my resignation sooner rather than later. For good, this time. If the red tape was stifling before, it's downright suffocating now."_

"I'd imagine it must seem dull, after working with a Spectre. Unfortunately, as good as it is to catch up, this is not purely a social call."

" _I figured as much. What's the problem?_ "

"About two weeks ago, I was...accosted by a ...creature in my office. I approximate between nine and ten feet tall, bipedal, five-fingered. Bulky, like a krogan, but possibly that's just armor. It asked after Shepard. I told him what I knew, and that is that the Shadow Broker put a bounty on him. It left after that, and during the next week, shadow broker informants started turning up dead. Not 'convenient accident' dead, I mean 'doors kicked in and victim literally torn apart' dead. I…"

" _Wait, you were attacked by this thing? Are you okay?"_

Liara rolled her eyes at the interruption. While she wouldn't trade the Normandy crew for the galaxy, their tendency to treat her like a maiden who hadn't even fired a gun before grated on her. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that just a few months prior, she _was_ a maiden who had never fired a gun before.

"I'm fine, Garrus. As I was saying, I just now returned home, and in my _previously locked_ apartment, there was a note left by the creature. It wants my help finding Shepard's body, and It calls itself 'Alpharius'. It sounds like a Turian name, but the writing was human."

" _Alpharius? That's not a Turian name I've ever heard. Is there anything else you can tell me?"_

"It was blue, had numerous markings, possibly of religious or cultural significance, then again, it was obviously a soldier or warrior, so they may be indicative of personal accomplishment or status. It had powerful kinetic barriers, I overheated a thermal clip and they gave no indication of failing. A full powered biotic blast only slowed it down for a split second. It was physically strong, it subdued me with a single hand. The only thing I could determine of its personality was that it let me live because I was friends with Shepard."

" _...Next time, when I ask, 'are you okay', and the answer is, 'a serial-killing bullet-and-biotic-proof juggernaut tried to murder me', the correct response is_ not _'I'm fine.' You're on Illium, right? I'm going to turn in my resignation and pack. As soon as I get that done, I'll be on my way."_

"Garrus, I didn't call to ask for your help. I called to make sure you were prepared in case it tried to seek _you_ out." Liara explained, exasperated.

" _Too bad, you're_ getting _my help."_ Garrus declared, as he cut off the call.

Liara sighed as she picked up the OSD.

"Well, better get to work. Thankfully, Sekat still owes me a few favors…"

After all, who knows what horrible things that creature was capable of…

* * *

" **I cast Detect Evil to pinpoint the location of the Hag, and use Branding Smite to dispel its invisibility."**

"Roll to hit." 'Deadpool' ordered.

Sam did so.

" **Natural 20! YOUR SORCERY WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO EVADE MY RIGHTEOUS FURY, WITCH!"** Sam bellowed, following up with a manic cackle.

"You know, I never would have pegged you for a Paladin. A Warlord or Hexblade, maybe, but not a Paladin."'Shiva' commented.

" **...I was feeling nostalgic."**

* * *

 **AN:** Sorry about the wait, but a few things have happened since my last post, most notably the death of my father. While that was a significant personal event, which did make it difficult to get in the mood to write, it does not explain the long wait.

For that, the explanation is much simpler- Imagine a hill. When you start, you are full of energy, enthusiasm, and momentum. That momentum gets you, let's say, halfway up the hill. At that point, it takes far more energy and effort to continue up to the crest of the hill, which is then very easy to descend from. All three of my stories are at the 'halfway up' point.

Since this is good as a place as any, I suppose I will post an update, so you who follow me can know what's going on.

Entropy Effect: Next chapter unwritten, but I have a very good idea of what is going to happen, so it should be done shortly.

Not Just A Routine Mission: First half of next chapter planned, second half… not so much. I previously had it half-written, but scrapped it because it was horrible.

Dark Lord of Naboo: Hiatus.

Sotor-verse fics: Canceled. Exception is Peacemaker.

Peacemaker: Hiatus. Will be turned into a technically 'non-canon' NJARP-verse spinoff. (Non canon because NJARP-verse is very much a 'hard science' series. FFVII is… _not_ based on hard science. At all.)


	6. A Khornate Karol

**Holiday Special:** A Khornate Carol

* * *

 _ **Shanxi, 2157, 36 years before Sovereign's attack on the Citadel...**_

* * *

Samael stumbled out of his Caestus Assault Ram.

" **That is the last time I look at flects before bed. Now, Where in the Warp am I?"**

He looked around. He couldn't make out much, because the skyline was on fire.

" **That tells me** _ **nothing**_ **."**

He saw some armored figures approach him.

" **Excuse me, but I am a bit lost. Could you tell me where I am?"**

The figures started yelling in some alien tongue.

" **I'm sorry, but I don't understand."**

They continued to yell at him, gesturing at him with some sort of strange looking rifle.

He then saw their hands. Only three fingers. Xenos. Sam Sighed.

" **I knew I should have spent more time learning xenolinguistics. Let's see… Ni manen** **care- hir poica sambe?"**

No change, save for the gestures becoming more emphatic.

" **Alright, not Eldar then… Shuushi kizu watashi! Watashi irashai noite yasuragi!"**

Again, no indication that they understood him.

" **Okay, so not Tau**."

One opened fire on him, bullets bouncing uselessly off his armor.

" **It would appear I need my universal translator if I want to put an end to hostilities."** Samael went back into his ship, and returned with his Reaper Autocannon. He fired three shots. The first killed two, and heavily injured the third. the second round finished him off. The third round was just being mean.

Job done, Samael headed back inside, in order to check the ship's logs. Upon doing so, he realized something important.

" **Khorne's Blood! It's Sanguinala!"**

Despite not being a Loyalist, Samael nevertheless had a high regard for ALL of the Primarchs, and so made it a point to grieve each one's death, Loyalist and Traitor alike. Except for Vulkan. Samael had no doubt that Perpetual bastard was still alive.

And so, along with the rest of the Imperium, he observed Sanguinala. Oftentimes much to the confusion of the loyalist forces he was fighting at the time. After all, no one really expects a Chaos Lord to materialize in the middle of their war camp, shout " **"Happy Sanguinala!"** and start handing out (non-chaos tainted) presents. Samael remembered fondly the time he did that to the Blood Angels. They _still_ weren't sure whether or not he was mocking them.

And he knew just how to celebrate. After all, Sanguinius, like all Astartes, didn't like xenos very much.

So Samael grabbed his wargear, and left the ship.

* * *

Private Hannah Shepard was holed up on the third floor of a building, doing her best to monitor enemy comm chatter and keep an eye on the street below. This was difficult, as she didn't have communications training, the enemy was using an alien language, and all she had was a handheld radio.

Even so, she knew what screaming followed by dead silence meant. She tuned the radio to her Commanding Officer's frequency.

"Sir, something is taking out the alien patrols."

" _Say again, Shepard?"_

"I heard alien screaming on the comm, followed by silence. Something is taking them out."

" _Impossible. All our units in that area are gone."_

"That's the only explanation… hold on. I've got movement. Initiating comm silence."

She pointed her rifle at the disturbance, and almost couldn't believe what she saw.

A hulking blue figure strode down the street, dragging a dead alien. It then stopped, coated the alien in some liquid, then strung it up from a street light. Then it ignited the corpse. It continued down the street, before stopping in front of a storefront.

* * *

Samael was confused. This was a human settlement, but it was not constructed like anything he had seen in the Imperium. And the sniper in the building near him was using a weapon more similar to these new xenos than anything the Mechanicus ever produced. But he was adaptable. As he walked down the street, he noticed another oddity. These buildings prominently displayed an overweight elderly man, wearing all red and an odd red hat. Maybe an influential noble? Nevertheless, it _was_ Sanguinala, and it _was_ traditional to wear red in Sanguinius' honor…

* * *

Hannah watched in confusion as the giant stole a Santa hat , taped it to his helmet, and proceeded to further loot the store. She lost sight of him as he went 'shopping'. Until she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned, to see the giant standing right behind her. It then thrust a first aid kit at her, price tag still attached, and shouted **"Happy Sanguinala!"**

For the rest of her career, Hannah would be ashamed of the first words out of her mouth, uttered in a moment of complete surprise.

"Isn't it Christmas?"

The giant cocked his head.

" **Never heard of it. Is that what you call Sanguinala on this planet? What is this planet, anyway?"**

"Shanxi. And what's the deal with the alien lynching? Not that I have much sympathy for the invaders."

" **Is it not customary to hang lights for the festivities?"**

"Not like _that_. And why are you giving me a medkit?" She commented, bewildered at the giant.

" **Gift giving is an integral part of the celebration of Sanguinala. There is a xenos invasion, And you are a member of the local militia, judging by your armament. In my experience, medical supplies are invaluable in such circumstances, and as such, an appropriate and usually appreciated gift."**

Hannah scowled. "I'm a _Marine."_ shecorrected, harshly. She then realized it was in her best interest to play nice with the person capable of casually taking out multiple alien patrols.

"I suppose I can see the reasoning. Thanks. I don't have anything to give you, though."

" **Honestly, I am merely grateful you haven't tried to kill me. You would have been unsuccessful, but it's the principle of the thing. It gets irritating. Although, if you could point me in the direction of more of these xenos, I would appreciate it."**

"Just keep the corpse decorations to a minimum, and we won't have problems." She ordered, pride a bit stung due to how casually he dismissed her as a threat.

" **No promises. "** He replied nonchalantly, though a bit impressed this mere mortal had the courage to threaten an Astartes.

"Why, is alien body desecration one of the traditions of this 'Sanguinala'?

" **Not explicitly, but implied. Sanguinala is about sacrificing oneself for the ultimate victory of mankind, of which these xenos are an obstacle. Usually this is done through gift giving, diminishing your own resources in order to supplement another's. But putting your life at risk in order to safeguard another human life is a valid interpretation."** The Chaos Lord explained. At least, that was the Loyalist interpretation. His motives weren't so idealistic.

"And where does mutilating their bodies come in?"

" **That's just me being spiteful."** Samael admitted. **"So, tell me about this...Christmas."**

"Well, I guess it's a lot like this Sanguinala of yours. Except instead of alien murder, we sometimes give a fireworks display."

" **Fireworks, hm? I believe I may be able to accomodate you."** Samael said, eyeing the alien ships in low orbit. He strode off, without another word.

Hannah watched him leave, still in a state of disbelief. After she regained her bearings, she radioed her commanding officer.

"Sir, you're not going to believe this…"

* * *

When the Asari arrived in order to peacefully end the 'First Contact War', they were surprised to learn that the humans held their own against the Turians, forcing them into a stalemate. This was primarily due to an unknown person managing to hijack the Turian flagship and crash ill in a it on top of the primary ground force. No one, not even the humans, could explain why someone made the resulting carnage spell out "Happy Sanguinala!", except for one Private. When she gave her report, the myth of the 'Giant of Shanxi' was born.

And years later, Hannah Shepard still had no idea why her husband Sam, a gentle soul who had absolutely nothing to do with the Giant she met, insisted on making a Christmas tree ornament out of a Turian action figure.

* * *

 **AN1:Yes,** in Entropy Effect continuity, Shepard is Hannah's maiden name. Samael took her last name when they got married.

 **AN2** :for those curious, the 'eldar' language is intentionally bad Quenya. The Tau language is intentionally bad Japanese.

Translations will be offered in an Author's Note next chapter (which is done, it just needs some more editing). This is to allow the people who want to look it up themselves the chance to do so.

 **AN3:** Sorry about the wait. Got a new job, which altered my schedule quite a bit, as you can imagine. While I was gone, however, I _did_ manage to beat Dawn of War 3. My review of it is posted below. If you're curious about the game/want to know what I think of it, feel free to read it. If you don't care, now's the time to stop reading.

 **Dawn of War 3 Rant:** Dawn of War 3 is what I expected out of Dawn of War 2. Dawn of War 2 is what I expected from Dawn of War 3.

If that makes no sense, let me clarify- Dawn of War 3 would have been a great sequel to Dawn of War 1. Here are my reasons for this: 1:The campaign followed similar plot progression. 2:The focus was on base building and armies, with elite units for flavor, much like DoW 1.

Only one problem-DoW 3 is two steps back from DoW 1 in one regard- the factions. DoW 1 had NINE. DoW 3 had THREE. You might say that there is a fourth, but it only has one non-final-boss unique unit, the others are reskins of the other three faction's units.

Dawn of War 2 had a more in depth campaign, and had the ability to level up and customize your elite units, each one having a fully flushed out personality and backstory. Even their WEAPONS AND ARMOR have their own story. You cared about them, as you grew them into something greater. At the beginning of the game, you have difficulty fighting off four enemy squads. By the end, you're breezing through forty. There is clear progression, and YOU are the one making it. Each mission seems like you're barely gaining ground against the massive looming threat, but you ARE gaining ground.

In Comparison, DoW 3's campaign feels rushed. Like if you opened up a book of The Lord of The Rings, and all that was printed was "A short guy throws a ring into a volcano, killing the bad guy. The End." You don't have time to get attached to the characters, and they're just as strong as when you start. For instance, I beat the game, and I can't tell you a THING about Jain Zar.

The story jumps around too much, preventing you from feeling you're making progress, because there is no reference point. Beat one mission as Angelos, and the next you're fighting against him as Gorgutz, undoing all of your work in the previous mission. YOU don't progress. You TRY to, and then shenanigans pop out of nowhere, and completely divert you, and launch you in a different narrative direction. It's like the player is a pinball, the story a pinball machine, and plot twists are the flippers.

That being said, the plot wasn't BAD. It just was nowhere near as fleshed out as Dawn of War 2's.

In other words, DoW 2 was a huge leap forward from DoW 1, almost jarringly so. DoW 3 was a few steps back from DoW 2, landing somewhere between the two, polishing DoW 1's mechanics to a mirror finish, while trying out the focus on elite units, but not quite getting there. That focus on Elite units, DoW 2 mastered. In other words, if it weren't for the better graphics, if you gave this to a new player of Dawn of War, removed the numbers from the titles, and told him/her to marathon the games, then tell you which order they came in, there is no doubt in my mind that they would say Dawn of War 3 was Dawn of War 2, and vice versa.

In short: Dawn of War 3 was two steps forward from Dawn of War 1. It was two steps back from Dawn of War 2.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN1:** a reviewer brought up a good point. Sam would've had to go through a background check if he was married to an Admiral, which would include medical records. My answer-He's Alpha Legion. If he couldn't forge a few documents, it's unlikely he would've gotten very far in the Legion. I'll admit, a lot of how Sam gets by with some of the things he does is 'because the premise says so', but 'how Hannah never noticed something was off' actually has an explanation. Hannah's in the navy, so she's gone a lot. For months at a time. Plenty of time to smuggle in a suit of armor and such. Also, who said she never noticed something off? She just hasn't made the 'my husband= Heavily armored crazy guy' connection. I haven't done a lot with her yet, but she knows there's more to his backstory than he's telling. She just lets it slide because it's in the past, and has no bearing on their life together NOW. Also, people tend not to think too hard about their home life- spending time with her husband is one of the few times she gets to turn her brain off and relax. If he was a mission or criminal case, she would find out a few things she hasn't relatively quickly, simply because she's actually TRYING to dig deeper. Sam's been on his best behavior for 30+ years, so it's not like people... 'disappear' in their neighborhood, or something else that would draw attention to him, so he's never warranted closer scrutiny.

 **AN2:** Translations for last chapter: Eldar: I how do find clean room? (Further elaboration-clean room=bathroom/restroom) Tau: Stop hurting me! I come in Peace!

It's intentionally supposed to be bad, indicating Sam is nowhere near a fluent speaker. The words are accurate, according to online translators. For the Elvish, I moved the words around, in order to invoke 'you no take candle!' levels of how wrong it is grammatically to people who actually speak it. So, for example, the 'Tau' more accurately translated as Shuushi(stop) kizu(wound) Watashi(me)! Watashi(I) irashai(come) noite(move)[Sam means in] yasuragi(peace)!

 **AN3** : I'm going to be doing a little 'retcon' to ME lore-

 **SPOILERS AHEAD:** SKIP IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN SURPRISED: The Emperor is in this story. He's even bigger than Sam. So, a while back, he had a doctor (either posed as one or paid one off) 'discover' a 'rare form of gigantism' that would occasionally 'naturally' occur that would result in a Space Marine-sized (or bigger!) physique. This is a complete fabrication, designed by the Emperor in order to avoid suspicion. Sam, despite not knowing its origins, took advantage of it.

 **AN4:** In this chapter, Sam uses a grav weapon. For those of you skeptical, Grav-weapons do, in fact, work this way in WH40K Canon. The more massive the target, the better grav weapons work. Because it amplifies gravity. **WARNING: MATH AHEAD!** In physics, m*g=w. M=mass. g=gravity. w=weight. Weight is how much gravity affects the object. For example, an Asari is roughly 70 kilograms. An earth-size planet has a g-force of 9.8 m/s. So, 70*9.8= 686 newtons. An Asari is approximately 1.8 square meters, so the pressure would be about 381 newtons/m2 (pascals), or about 0.055 psi. A Warlord Titan, according to one source, is 2,500 [imperial] tons, or 2540117 kilograms, and 60 meters tall. So, it would be 2540117*9.8= 24,893,146.6 newtons, and at 1500 square meters, that would be 2.39 psi. Under normal circumstances, it has 44 _times_ the force acting on it than an Asari. Now, let's assume a grav weapon, on it's lowest setting, multiplies the gravity by, say, 100 times. In other words, an affected entity has 100 gs applied to it. So, an asari shot by one would have 70*(9.8*100)=6,8600 newtons, or 5.53 psi [38 kilopascals] This level of overpressure is equivalent to being on the edge of a shockwave of a bomb. Survivable, but with broken bones and other such injuries. A Warlord Titan, however, now has 248,931,466 newtons of pressure, or 240.7 psi [1.66 megapascals] (The most a modern submarine can withstand is 5.) So, in other words, the grav weapon applies a relatively meager additional 5.475 psi to a 'small' target like an Asari. It applies a much more substantial 238.31 Psi to the Titan. However, that is relative. For something that is built to withstand 1/20th of a Psi, an increase of five and a half PSIs is substantial from their point of view, thus the broken bones and injuries.

Feel free to check my work, or point out something I missed/misunderstood/am wrong about. I consider Math to be one of my worst subjects, so it wouldn't surprise me if I made a mistake somewhere, or if there is a special equation that calculates an entity's ability to withstand pressure that I'm not aware of.

 **TL:DR** \- Grav weapons work better on bigger things. Thus, the only weapon in WH40K with a 'stun' setting (that I know of) is the one that can also crush a battle tank like a soda can with no adjustments to the settings. Because that's how the Imperium rolls. Also, it's less of a 'stun' and more of a 'multiple bone fracture'. Because, again, that's how the Imperium rolls.

 **EDIT:** Thanks to **The Pyromaniac** for checking My work! It turns out I converted Kilograms to grams when I shouldn't have. Pretty sure this is accurate now, but again, feel free to correct me!

* * *

 _ **Entropy Effect**_

 _ **Chapter 6**_

Tela Vasir looked through her scope at the Asari below. After doing some digging, it turned out the Asari wasn't a random victim- she had it out for the Shadow Broker. Guess who The Giant started to attack after meeting her?

Couple that with the fact that The Giant _reported back_ to her, and it hardly looked like a coincidence.

And Tela didn't believe in coincidences at the best of times.

She lined up the shot with the Asari's head. A shame, but the Broker was compensating her for keeping his assets safe...and the Asari was making them _un_ safe.

Just as she fired, she felt like she was being crushed by biotics, before she was suddenly released.

" **You are lucky you are such a scrawny little thing, and this just a pistol. Otherwise, you would have been slowly crushed to death. And we wouldn't want** _ **that**_ **now, would we?"**

Tela tried to push herself up, only to let out a cry of pain. She definitely had a few broken bones. She looked up at her assailant. It was the Giant.

While she was struggling to get on her feet, He strode over to her and took off her omnitool, despite her efforts to keep him from doing so. He tapped a few keys on it, seemingly ignoring her. She used the opportunity to draw her sidearm and fired until the heat sink overheated, directly into its head. She smirked as she saw the barrier fall, only for the rounds to be deflected by its thick helm. The Giant chuckled.

" **Nice try, but it will take more than a mere sidearm to penetrate my armor. Come now, get up."**

She fought through the pain, and did so, surprised the Giant let her.

As if sensing her thoughts, it replied.

" **I only ambushed you in order to recover your Omnitool. After all, there's data on the Shadow Broker in there, and I couldn't risk you deleting it."**

Tela scoffed. "As if I'd be _that_ much of an amateur. There's no sensitive data on there."

" **He contacted you. Personally. That means I just need to back trace the call, and follow the comm buoys to find him. Much more efficient use of my time than looking for scraps of information that** _ **might**_ **lead to him."**

Tela frowned. He was right. The Shadow Broker scrambled and encrypted the transmission, and used every trick that existed to mask its origin, but the simple fact that the transmission was able to be sent meant that it _was_ possible to follow it back to its origin point, if you were smart and tech savvy enough.

And that meant one thing for Tela Vasir. The Broker was too important an asset to be allowed to be destroyed.

"You _do_ realise that I have no option but to kill you now, right? There's no way I can let you do that."

" **Of course. I want you to try."**

Tela was taken aback. She'd heard that a thousand times before. Each time, it was filled with arrogance and bravado. Not this time, though. There was only sincerity in his voice.

"What!?"

" **I want you to try and kill me. After all, Khorne is the god of honorable battle, among his other traits. While it's true that at the end of the day, he ultimately doesn't care where the blood offered to him comes from, the sacrifice of a skilled opponent trying to kill you is worth a** _ **thousand**_ **cowering weaklings. That, and I want to see what the vaunted Spectres are capable of."**

Tela's eyes widened as everything clicked into place.

He was a professionally trained _religious fanatic_.

The reason the kills were so quick and clean at the _start_ of his rampage through the Broker's base was that his training wouldn't allow him to do any different-not when there was an actual threat.

Once the threats were dealt with, _then_ he could afford to fool around a bit. Take his time. The reason there was no calling card was that it wasn't done for _fun_ , it was _standard procedure_ for this guy's twisted religion. And she was next.

She was a Spectre. She was one of the best of the best. But she was also injured, and in close quarters with an opponent clearly specialized for CQC. That meant she had one shot. A biotic charge, followed up with a biotic punch to the abdomen, right above the belt, where there was no plating in the Giant's bulky armor. That should injure him enough to level the playing field a little.

She rushed at him, just shy of light speed.

And knew no more.

Sam shook his hand, trying to get the feeling back. He was impressed. She actually managed to fracture his arm. And crack the ceramite coating his gauntlet. An easy fix, but still impressive.

It was easy to tell what she was about to do. She was eyeing the relatively exposed power umbilicals of his Cataphractii armor, and she flared as she… did whatever it was that let her move that fast.

As such, he threw a punch right _before_ she charged, running face first into his fist at relativistic speed.

As a consequence, he needed to fix his broken arm, and she needed a new head.

He sighed. That was… anticlimactic. Then again, he had long ago accepted that the grand duels so common in his own time were sadly missing from this galaxy.

Khorne would have to make do.

"Don't move!" A voice shouted from behind him. Sam turned, and saw it was a Turian, who had an assault rifle pointed at his head. A Turian he recognized from the Normandy photo.

" **Garrus Vakarian. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."**

"Cut the crap. What do you want with Liara!?"

" **Nothing. She has already served her part in my plan."**

"So, you tried to put a bullet in her head because she outlived her usefulness!?" Garrus growled.

" **No. It was this Asari that tried to kill Miss T'soni. I intervened."** Sam said, gesturing to the corpse of Tela Vasir. The he motioned to the discarded sniper rifle.

" **The rifle is over there. As you can tell, the trigger guard is too small for my gauntlets. I would not be able to fire the weapon without either removing them or the guard, which would be obvious. I'm glad to hear she's unharmed. Let me guess- the barriers on the window caught the bullet?"**

Garrus' rifle lowered slightly.

"Yeah, they did. How did you…"

" **As Miss T'soni no doubt told you, I once dropped off an item at her apartment. I saw the...security additions at that time. And a kinetic barrier that has a building's power supply would take a shot or two to deplete, even from a high-powered rifle."** Or what passed for high-powered in this galaxy, at any rate.

"I was bait, wasn't I?" Liara asked as she arrived.

"Liara! I asked you to wait in the car for a reason! This guy tried to kill you in the past!"

"Thank you for your concern, Garrus, but I need to talk to him personally. I need answers."

Garrus looked like he was about to reply, but Sam interjected before he could.

" **To answer your question, Miss T'soni, It was a possibility I had planned for, yes."**

"The data you acquired was random bits of miscellaneous files. Blackmail material, and the like. Useful to an information broker, but not for a person trying to find answers. You knew that before you gave it to me, didn't you?"

" **I suspected as much, but I** _ **was**_ **hoping for something substantial."**

"But you set it up to look like _I_ was looking for the Broker. So he would send an assassin after me, and you could intercept and interrogate them."

" **Very astute."**

"So, you set me up as bait. It wasn't a 'possibility', it was your plan all along. You used me-"  
 **"-As you tried to use** _ **me**_ **as your mercenary. I knew there was more you weren't telling me, even before I step a foot outside your office. So, that makes us even. In the end, we both got what we wanted- a viable lead to this "Shadow Broker."**

Liara glared, but changed the subject.

"Very well. Next question. Why? Why do you want Shepard's body back so badly?"

" **If nothing else, his mother deserves to see her boy one final time."**

Liara's glare softened.

"Why do you care?" Garrus asked.

" **Personal reasons."**

"That doesn't tell me anything."

" **It doesn't have to. I am only answering your questions as a courtesy. I am under no obligation to say so much as a single word to you."**

"What do you want from us? Why _are_ you involving us?"

" **I want nothing from you. You merely happened to be a lead, and now, as far as I care, your part is done. For the sake of remaining on good terms, however, I will extend an olive branch. I am going to find this Broker, and I invite you to come with me."**

"So, what? You'll come and knock on our door a few years from now, and expect us to drop everything and go on a vacation with you?" Garrus scoffed.

" **If you don't want to go save your supposed friend, that's more than fine by me. I offered as a courtesy. And no, not a few years from now."**

Tela's omnitool beeped. Sam read the message, and gave an unseen grin.

" **We're leaving right now."**

This stunned the two aliens.

"How? The Broker has taken every possible precaution against being found!" Liara exclaimed.

" **I have been doing this for a** _ **very**_ **long time, child. This broker is clever, credit where credit is due, but I have spent longer than he has been** _ **alive**_ **outsmarting people who would consider him a dimwitted amateur. To me, his misdirections may as well not exist. Now, I ask again. Are you coming?"**

Garrus and Liara shared a look. It took them about a second to decide.

"We're in."

* * *

 **AN5:** To preemptively answer why Sam's even bothering to give the light of day to Garrus and Liara, the answer's simple- he doesn't want to alienate friends of his son, especially ones he (Commander Shepard) trusted so much. Sam is a former Astartes-a part of him still holds the concept of 'Battle-Brother' in high regard, and knows Shepard thinks of them the same way. So, he's trying to play nice with them.

 **AN6:** Ugh. This has been collecting dust since _Christmas_. It always seemed inadequate to me, but I couldn't figure out how to fix it. Maybe it's how quick Garrus and Liara accept? Oh well. Rather than spend ANOTHER couple of months trying to fix it, I'm posting it. Maybe you reviewers can tell me what I'm missing, and I can fix it later. Sorry about the wait and the substandard chapter.


End file.
